Leviticus 22:12-22

12 And a priest's daughter, when {she marries a layman}, she herself may not eat {the votive offering}.
13 But a priest's daughter, when she becomes a widow or divorced or there is no offspring for her, and she returns to her father's house as [in] her childhood, she may eat from her father's food, but {no layman may eat it}.
14 And if a man eats [the] votive offering unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it, and he shall give the votive offering to the priest.
15 And they shall not profane the {Israelites}' votive offerings that they present to Yahweh,
16 and so cause them, by their eating their votive offerings, to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, because I [am] Yahweh, who consecrates them.'"

Acceptable Offerings

17 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
18 "Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the {Israelites}, and say to them, 'Anyone from the house of Israel or from the alien in Israel who presents his offering for any of their vows or for any of their freewill offerings that they present to Yahweh as a burnt offering,
19 [it must be] without defect {to be acceptable for you}: a male among the cattle, among the sheep, or among the goats.
20 You shall not present any [animal] in which [is] a physical defect, because it shall not be {acceptable} for you.
21 And if anyone brings a sacrifice of fellowship offerings for Yahweh to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the cattle or from the flock, it must be without defect {to be acceptable}; there must not be any physical defect in it.
22 [The] blind or [the] injured or [the] maimed or [the] seeping or [one with a] skin disorder or [one with a] skin eruption--these you shall not present to Yahweh, nor shall you give from them an offering made by fire on the altar for Yahweh.

Leviticus 22:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 22

In this chapter several laws are delivered out, forbidding the priests to eat of holy things, when in any uncleanness, or at any time what dies of itself, or is torn of beasts, Le 22:1-9; also showing who belonging to the priests might or might not eat of the holy things, Le 22:10-16; and others requiring that whatever offerings were brought by the children, of Israel, they should be perfect and without blemish, Le 22:17-25; and also declaring what age a creature should be of when sacrificed, and the time when thank offerings were to be eaten, Le 22:26-30; concluding with an exhortation to observe the commands of God, and sanctify him, and not profane his name, Le 22:31-33.

Footnotes 19

  • [a]. Literally "she becomes for a strange man"
  • [b]. Literally "the offering/lifting of the votive offering"
  • [c]. Or "And"
  • [d]. Or "and"
  • [e]. Or "and"
  • [f]. Literally "any stranger shall not eat it"
  • [g]. Or "and"
  • [h]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
  • [i]. Or "And"
  • [j]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
  • [k]. Or "and"
  • [l]. Or "and"
  • [m]. Literally "for your acceptance"
  • [n]. Or "and"
  • [o]. Literally "for acceptance"
  • [p]. Or "among"
  • [q]. Or "among"
  • [r]. The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
  • [s]. Literally "for acceptance"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.